A Mother's Love
by Alcoholic Semen Thrower
Summary: An add on to Laura Kay's story.
1. Chapter 1

Ok, I've had this for a couple of weeks now, but due to a lack of computer-availability I haven't had the chance to type it up. Not that this should particularly interest you, but I felt the need to share. : ) Anyhoo, this story depends on Minerva and Albus having a strong friendship with Arthur and Molly Weasley. I don't know why they do, but I don't think it is out of the question either. So… enjoy!

Summary: Arthur and Molly visit Albus and Minerva for supper one night… Ladies and Gents, we have here the world's worst summary! Just read it…please? AD/MM, slight, slight AW/MW

Rated: PG for now. It might change to PG-13, but I doubt it. Depends what mood I'm in when I'm writing. : )

Disclaimer: The stuff you recognize is JK Rowling's. The stuff you don't recognize is mine, but it was inspired by JK Rowling.

A Mother's Love

by Laura

Albus Dumbledore watched his wife from the doorway between the kitchen and dining room. Minerva was setting the table, no difficult task he knew, but the sight fascinated him, nonetheless. She moved with a grace that made it seems as if she were dancing rather than walking around the table. Deceptively delicate-looking arms and hands carried plates and sorted cutlery. Nimble fingers folded napkins precisely and easily.

Feeling his eyes on her, Minerva glanced up, never once breaking her pace. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the napkins. She had long since given up on asking Albus what he found so intriguing about her doing simple tasks, as his answers rarely made much sense. Finishing folding, Minerva began to place the napkins around the table, ending with her back towards her husband. She glanced across the table to see if she had forgotten anything.

Albus walked up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. "It looks beautiful. Like you," he said, kissing the back of her neck.

Minerva smiled and leaned back into his embrace. "Flatterer."

"Goddess."

She laughed and turned within the circle of his arms to kiss his cheek. Albus turned his head and caught her lips with his own. They let the kiss linger for a moment.

Suddenly, the fireplace in the living room roared into life and deposited a young, redheaded wizard carrying a redheaded toddler who was clapping his hands together gleefully, clearly having enjoyed the trip.

"Not interrupting anything, am I Professors?" the man asked with a grin, noting from the living room the blushing faces of Albus and Minerva, who had sprang apart at the noise of the fireplace.

Minerva cleared her throat and bustled into the living room. "Of course not, Arthur. What gave you that idea?" She started dusting soot off both man and child.

"Perhaps the fact that you won't meet my eyes?" Arthur replied chuckling. Minerva definitely raised her eyes to his, but then blushed and smiled as she glanced away again.

Albus's eyes twinkled. "Well, she certainly proved you wrong." Walking forward, he shook Arthur's free hand. "Where's your wife?"

"She should be along shortly," he said turning towards the fireplace. "She was giving the house a last glance and saw something she had forgotten to pack. How is it that the smaller the child is, the more you need to bring?"

Minerva smiled and held her arms out to the boy. He smiled back and fairly jumped from his father's arms into hers.

"Hi Aunt 'Neva!" he said.

"Hi Billy-Boy! How's the big brother?"

"Firsty," he replied seriously. "Can I've some lemolade?"

"Bill," his father said warningly.

"Please, Aunt 'Neva, can I've some lemolade?" Bill amended.

"You're in luck Bill, I just made some lemonade," Minerva answered, ignoring his grammar and carrying him into the kitchen.

The two men watched her go, and then Albus turned back to Arthur. "So how is life at The Burrow?" he asked, referring to the house the young man had recently bought.

"Wonderful. I have two healthy sons, a beautiful wife, and now a home of my very own. Though I think my mother was sad to see us go." The young family had been staying with Arthur's widowed mother until they could stand on their own feet. "She rather enjoyed having us for company."

"Well, that means she'll be happy to baby-sit," reasoned Albus.

"Here, here," Arthur agreed, just as green fire erupted from the hearth behind him and a redheaded woman carrying a blanket-swathed baby in her arms and a large, cloth bag over her shoulder joined the men.

"Ah, Molly, glad you could join us. I think you've gotten more lovely since I saw you last," Albus said as he took the bag from her.

"You know, I'm not sure how proper it is for you to be flirting with your former student," Molly replied, blushing and smiling all the same.

"Why not? I married one of them, didn't I?" Albus replied cheerfully, as Minerva walked back into the room. She was carrying a tray of cheese and crackers in one hand, and Bill in the other. Bill also had his hands full, with a cracker-cheese sandwich and a small cup of lemonade, his favorite.

Minerva set the tray on a table and Bill on the floor as she eyed her husband. "I'm afraid what to ask you married one of."

"A beautiful woman, of course," Albus replied.

Minerva raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but turned to Molly and embraced her. "I'm so glad you could come to dinner," she said.

"Well, we weren't going to turn down our former Headmaster and Head of House, were we?" Molly said, returning the hug with one arm.

Minerva pulled back and lifted a corner of the blanket to reveal a tiny head covered in soft, red-blonde hair. "Oh Molly, he's adorable!"

"Yes, our newest pride and joy. He'll be a week tomorrow."

"Little baby Charlie," Minerva breathed. "Can I hold him?"

"Of course," Molly said, gently handing the baby to the professor. Charlie scrunched up his face and made a quiet whining noise as he was being passed, but then he snuggled down into Minerva's arms as she slowly walked to a rocking chair and sat down.

Albus got Molly and Arthur drinks and they sat down, too. The four adults chatted and watched Bill play with the toys he had brought, and then adjourned to the dining room once supper was ready. The steady stream of comfortable conversation was interrupted only near the end of dessert by Charlie's loud cry announcing he was hungry. Molly took him into the living room to nurse him as Arthur and Albus started discussing the new Muggle-Wizard relations decree that was about to be passed. Bill declared that he was done eating, too, and wanted to get down from the table and play, so Minerva took him into the living room.

Minerva and Bill sat on the living room floor and Bill gathered his toys. As Minerva played with him, she held a quiet conversation with Molly, who was sitting on the couch feeding Charlie, about the younger woman's plans for decorating her new house.

Albus and Arthur, still deep in conversation, started to clear the table. Minerva heard them and called out, "Arthur Weasley, don't touch those dishes! I'll not have a guest cleaning in my house!"

But Arthur called back laughing, "Too late, there's no stopping us now!"

Minerva smiled wryly. "Ten points from Gryffindor, for disobeying a teacher," she muttered.

Bill laughed. "You funny, Aunt 'Neva," he said.

Minerva raised her eyebrows. "I hope you think it's funny if I really mean it when I say it to you at Hogwarts. Though if you can't manage 'Minerva,' I don't know how you'll get through 'Professor McGonagall.'"

Bill considered this. "P'fess Gonall!" he tried.

Minerva laughed. "Close enough for now." Glancing up, she saw Molly staring fondly at her. "What?"

Molly shook her head as she burped Charlie. "I was just thinking about how different 'Minerva' is from 'Professor McGonagall.'"

Minerva tilted her head to one side, contemplating this. "Yes, I suppose I am much more strict in the classroom." Molly gave her a look that clearly said,_ you suppose?_ And Minerva laughed. "It's not even a conscious change anymore. But my father was the same way."

"You're father was a professor? I didn't know that."

"He was the Potions teacher before Professor Kedley. He retired a few years before I started teaching."

"Retired? He couldn't have been that old, could he?"

"No, he was only 108, but he decided to take a job at the Ministry of Magic, researching and developing new potions. Better pay, he said, but I think it was because he was able to spend more time at home." Minerva smiled at the memory. "He was a great big man, but so much fun. So long as you didn't run afoul of him, he was as harmless as a wee kitten." Her accent deepened as she journeyed back into her childhood. "All of us kids loved playing with him. But I remember once, he took me to Hogwarts for a few days, when I was about seven, I think, and I sat in on one of his lessons. Hardly a soul dared step out o' line. I was a wee bit scared meself." Minerva shook her head slightly.

"That must be it then, where you got it from," Molly said. "You were quite frightening in school."

Minerva chuckled. "It's a gift." Then, tentatively she looked up at Molly. "Can I hold Charlie?"

"Of course!" said Molly, who had just finished feeding him. Minerva stood up to take Charlie in her arms, and then sat back down in her rocking chair again, as the men came into the living room. Albus sat on the floor next to Bill, and Arthur sat down next to Molly on the couch. The three adults struck up a conversation while Albus charmed some of Bill's toys to move of their own accord.

But Minerva was almost completely oblivious to all of this. She had her attention focused on the baby in her arms. She couldn't get over how tiny and soft he was. How good he smelled. How warm and comfortable his weight was in her arms. She studied his little sleeping face. Minerva marveled at how delicate and perfect he was, from his tiny little nose and lips, to every little eyelash. From the sparse hair on his head, Minerva could tell his hair was going to be just as red as his parent's and brother's. Charlie opened his eyes and looked straight into Minerva's. She quite nearly melted.

After awhile, Arthur stood up and said they should be going. Thanking Albus and Minerva for dinner, Arthur and Molly gathered up the various things they had brought with them. Minerva reluctantly handed Charlie back to Molly. With two green roars of fire, the Weasleys were gone.

.:.

When Albus came out of the bathroom, Minerva was already curled up in the middle of their bed. She was holding open a book entitled _Prince Charming: Cinderella Speaks_. Her eyes were on the page, but unmoving, and Albus knew she wasn't actually reading.

He walked over and sat on his side of the bed. "What's wrong?"

Minerva looked up, only realizing he was in the room when he spoke. "Nothing," she said.

Albus looked at her seriously. That 'nothing' would have fooled most people, but not him. It was slightly too honest, and her eyes were slightly too innocent. But Albus let it go for a moment. Instead he asked, "Are you going to give me any room tonight?"

Minerva smiled ruefully and scooted over to her side of the bed. Albus climbed under the covers and lay back against the pillows. Then he pulled the book out of his wife's hands.

"Hey!" Minerva cried indignantly. "I was reading that!"

"No, you weren't," Albus said calmly and pulled Minerva close to him.

Minerva opened her mouth to disagree, but then conceded; she _hadn't_ been reading. And she wasn't opposed to snuggling with her husband. She relaxed against him, resting her head on his shoulder and letting her hand lay on his chest.

After a few moments, Albus broke the silence. "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Minerva picked her head up to look him in the eye. "Nothing is wrong, Albus." But he just raised his eyebrows and held her gaze. Minerva had to look away. "Damn you," she muttered under her breath as her eyes filled with tears. Sitting up she scrubbed a hand across her eyes.

Albus sat up, too, and wrapped his arms around her, feeling the smooth fabric of her satin nightgown. "Minerva, whatever it is, just tell me. Tell me what I can do." It tore at his heart to see her upset.

Minerva turned to face him, but looked at her hands in her lap. "I know we never discussed it, but I—well, I just don't know how you'd feel about the idea, and I—it's just—"

Albus cupped her chin with his hand and raised her head so he could see her eyes. "Say it, love."

Minerva swallowed hard. "I want a baby."

Whatever Albus had been expecting, this certainly wasn't it. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and let his hand fall back to the bed. Minerva rushed forward, as if she were afraid he would object before she'd spoken her mind.

"I was holding Charlie tonight and I could feel his little body in my arms. I could feel his tiny heartbeat and his lungs expanding and even his little stomach gurgling. And I realized I was holding a tiny, perfect _life_ in my arms. And my heart just said, 'I want to make a life.' I want to have a baby of my own. Of our own." Minerva shifted so that she was kneeling on the bed completely facing Albus. "I want a little boy with black hair and blue eyes," she said touching Albus's cheek. "Or a little girl with my concentration and your temper," she smiled.

Albus covered her hand with his own. "My dear, a McGonagall girl with a calm temper? I hardly think so."

Minerva laughed and couldn't stop herself from leaning forward to hug him. Albus pulled her into his lap and she only drew back slightly to look into his eyes again. "I want to have a baby, Albus," she said simply, honestly.

Albus smiled slowly. "Then let's have a baby."

"Really?"

"Minerva, I can't believe you were so worried about this. What man wouldn't want to have children, have his own flesh and blood passed on, remade into new life?" Albus asked.

Minerva stared at him in happy disbelief for a moment before capturing his lips with hers and kissing him passionately. Albus kept one hand wrapped around her waist, while he buried the other in her soft black hair. Together they leaned back on the bed as the kiss deepened. When they broke the kiss for the purpose of air, they stared into each other's eyes. Volumes were spoken in that gaze, words that couldn't be defined, a language that no one could translate, but clear as day to Albus and Minerva, at that moment, and late into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**2 months later**

Minerva sat in the backyard of the Burrow. The two-story house was charming, Minerva thought. This was her first trip to her former students house. Molly had finally made the house "presentable for company," as she had put it. Minerva had come for lunch and now the two women were sitting outside enjoying the late July sun, watching Bill splash at the edge of the small pond. Minerva was holding Charlie.

The little baby had grown over the past two months. His bright blue eyes—now able to see much more clearly—roamed from object to object, taking in as much as possible. He babbled nonsense quietly when anyone held him. Minerva balanced him in a standing position on her lap, and he was strong enough to hold himself up for a while. When his knees gave way she cradled him against her again and he fell back to making happy sounds.

Bill was trying to catch a frog as he waded up to his knees in the pond. The frog kept hopping away on lily pads toward deeper water. Minerva worried for a moment and asked Molly if he was okay by himself, but Molly simply nodded her head. Sure enough, when Bill tried to take another step, a translucent sort of wall appeared, shimmering in front of him for a moment, then disappeared again, not letting him go any further.

"Arthur put up a charm to stop Bill from going too deep," Molly explained. "The funniest thing is when he forgets it's there and tries to jump in."

Minerva imagined the redheaded man throwing himself headlong at a wall and winced as she laughed. Molly offered to get them some lemonade, so Minerva turned her attention back to the baby in her arms. Charlie had turned face so he was pressing against her chest. She thought it was to hide his face from the sun until he began working his mouth against her breast, trying to feed. "Well, firstly, my dear," she chuckled, shifting him so he was lying on her lap with his feet against her stomach, "it doesn't work with clothes on. And secondly," she said, blowing softly on his feet, "you're not going to get anything from me." Charlie smiled and squirmed slightly as she tickled him.

Molly came back with the lemonade and Minerva handed Charlie back to his mother so she could feed him. Bill came running as soon as he saw the pitcher, so Minerva poured two glasses and a plastic cup of lemonade. Bill climbed up on Minerva's lap as he gulped his drink thirstily. The two of them held a little conversation about the frog he had almost caught. Once he had finished the lemonade, he ran off to the edge of the pond again.

Molly was smiling at Minerva when the older woman turned back to her drink. "You'd be a wonderful mother," she said simply.

Minerva blinked, taken aback. Then she smiled slowly. "Well, I'm glad you think so. That will come in useful."

Molly gaped at her. "Minerva, are you…?"

"Pregnant?" Minerva shook her head. "No. But Albus and I are trying."

Molly let out a shriek that caused Charlie to stop eating and Bill to look back at the ladies from where he stood by the pond. "Oh, how wonderful!" she cried.

Minerva wrinkled her nose as she smiled. "It is, isn't it? I haven't told anyone else yet. It's sort of exciting."

Molly laughed. "Just wait until you get to tell people that you're pregnant! It's even more fun."

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments. Charlie finished eating and Molly held him up against her shoulder to burp him. Minerva watched her, feeling a spark of envy. She thought of how Charlie felt in her arms, how it felt when he tried to feed from her. She sighed.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked, noting the troubled look on Minerva's face.

Minerva spoke hesitantly. "You and Arthur never really had to _try_, did you? I mean, Bill and Charlie sort of came about on their own."

Molly smirked slyly. "Well, it wasn't quite on their own. Arthur and I helped a little."

Minerva blushed. "Well, yes, but you never had to plan for it, right? You never had to…work for it?" She was now a deep pink color.

Molly couldn't help but laugh at her former professor. "You're really uncomfortable talking about sex, aren't you?"

Minerva covered her face with her hands as she blushed even deeper. "This is not the conversation I want to have with a student."

Molly shook her head. "I'm not a student anymore, and we aren't talking about sex. We are two mature woman talking about conceiving a child," she said matter-of-factly. Minerva continued to blush, but uncovered her face and sighed her acceptance. "Now, what's the problem?"

"Well… I suppose I'm just impatient. Albus and I have only been trying for two months, and some people try for years, but… I want a baby now," Minerva said. "I suppose that sounds very selfish of me."

"Not at all. I think it sounds perfectly natural. Besides," she added with a smirk, "I don't remember you ever being very patient."

Minerva glared at her. "Thank you so much, dear" she said dryly. Standing, she said, "I suppose I'd better be getting back home. I need to pack some more things up before I go to Hogwarts tonight."

Molly stood too, carefully, so as not to wake Charlie, who had just fallen asleep. "I can't believe your summer is almost over. When do you have to be back at the school?"

"Two weeks, but I'm starting the moving process early this year. It always seems very rushed and panicked when we leave it until later. It amazes me how many things Albus and I have at the cottage that we need at the castle. You'd think we could leave some of it behind." Minerva sighed and walked over to say goodbye to Bill before following Molly into the house to use the fireplace.

"Minerva," Molly said, before the older woman left, "Arthur's mother is a strange woman."

Minerva laughed. "Yes, I've met her."

"But she's a smart woman too. And she always says 'Good things come to those who wait. Even if those who wait get crabby from waiting so long. Eventually, their good thing will come.'"

Minerva and Molly regarded each other solemnly for a moment, and then burst out laughing. "Thanks for that," Minerva said, and then she was gone.

.:.

Molly Weasley was sitting, half-asleep, bathed in moonlight, in a chair in her bedroom. Arthur walked quietly into the room so as not to wake her, but she had woken already, rising to greet him. Arthur kissed her briefly and slid his hands down her arms to link his fingers with hers.

"I'm sorry I had to work so late on such short notice, dear."

"It's quite all right, Arthur. Do you want me to fix something to eat?"

"Oh no, dear," he said, sitting in her vacated chair and pulling her down to sit on his lap. "I had some sandwiches at work."

Molly started to stand up. "A few sandwiches is not a meal, let me make you something."

Arthur pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her waist to stop her from going. "Just stay here with me, please?"

Molly relented and draped her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek before resting her head against his chest. "How was your day?"

Arthur sighed. "Long and hard. But better since I saw you." Molly laughed softly and kissed his lips this time, letting it linger. When they pulled back, Arthur said, "But I'd rather talk about your day. How did it go? Did Professor McGonagall come by for lunch?"

"Yes, she did. She likes the house. She agreed with you, though, about you needing to build a shed or garage or what-have-you."

Arthur smiled. "She always was a smart woman."

Molly stifled a yawn. "Let's go to bed, love." Arthur nodded and the couple stood up. Arthur changed out of his work robes before joining Molly under the covers. She smiled and snuggled closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her again.

"Good night, Mr. Weasley."

"Good night, Mrs. Weasley." Her smile widened and she kissed her husband.

"That's what I was thinking about before you came in, you know," she said, laying her head down on the pillow next to his. "I'm Mrs. Weasley. But Minerva is almost never called Mrs. or even Professor Dumbledore. Most people who know her well enough to know that she and Albus are married already call her by her first name."

"That's the way it has to be, dear," Arthur said sleepily. "They both have too many enemies to let everyone know that they are married."

"I know, Arthur, that's what I was thinking about. And how will they explain a baby? Oh!" She said suddenly, picking her head up. "I forgot to tell you!"

"They're having a baby?" Arthur asked smiling.

"They're trying to get pregnant," Molly corrected.

Arthur smiled on into the dark. "Good. I've always thought they'd be good parents. Albus was almost like a father to me anyway." Molly yawned again as she nodded her agreement. "But we'll talk about it over breakfast, love. Now, we sleep.

Molly nodded again, kissed his cheek, and they drifted off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**December (5 months later)**

"Uncle Albus!" said Bill as his mother set him down in Dumbledore's living room. Albus stood up from where he'd been reading on the sofa. He scooped up the boy, brushing some soot off of Bill's small robes.

"Well hello, Mr. Weasley," Albus said as Molly tried to calm a fussy Charlie down.

Bill laughed. "Daddy is Mr. Weasley. I'm Bill."

Albus had to laugh at this. "So you are, my boy." He turned to Molly. "A fun day of Christmas shopping ahead of you?"

Molly gave him a look of exasperation. "Yes, lots of fun, fighting through the mobs in stores, trying to carry all your packages without getting crushed and mangled, and I'll bet I'll have walked five miles just around Diagon Alley by the end of the day."

Albus winced. "Perhaps not so much fun then. If it makes you fells any better, I won't be having much fun today either. I'm off to the Ministry of Magic for a council of the Wizengamot."

Bill broke in. "Where's Aunt 'Neva?"

"She's coming," Albus replied.

"She's here," Minerva corrected, coming through the door. "Sorry, I was grading some papers in my office and lost track of time."

Bill wriggled out of Dumbledore's arms and ran over to Minerva. "Aunt 'Neva, can we go see the Great Hall?"

"Arthur has been going on about the Christmas decorations at Hogwarts for weeks," Molly explained.

Minerva smiled and scooped Bill up in a hug. "Of course we can go look at the decorations. Would you like to come too, Molly?"

Molly shook her head. "I'd like to get going. I'll look at them when I get back, if that's all right?"

Minerva nodded, set Bill down, and took Charlie. "Have a lovely time," she smirked. Molly rolled her eyes before kissing her sons goodbye and then took the floo network to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I should go too, dear," Albus said. He shook Bill's hand formally, causing the little boy to giggle, and kissed Minerva before exiting the same way Molly had.

Minerva turned and offered her hand to Bill. "Well Billy-Boy, let's go see those decorations."

They exited Albus's living room into his office, and then down the spiral staircase. Minerva was glad for the moving stairs; she had been very tired lately. She was glad it was Christmas (as it was time for her to relax).

Out in the hallway, Bill let go of Minerva's hand and started running ahead of her.

Minerva's teacher side kicked in. "No running in the halls, please."

Bill slowed to a halt and froze mid-step so one foot was suspended in the air. He stayed that way, struggling to balance, until Minerva caught up with him, and then he fell into stride with her.

The Great Hall was done up in all it's usual magnificence. Several huge trees had been brought in and decorated. Garland and mistletoe bedecked the walls and tinsel glittered everywhere. Minerva's favorite decorations were the four house trees. In each corner stood a tree that one of the houses had been permitted to decorate. Apart from being bedizened with baubles of the house colors, the students had enchanted and decorated their tree as they wished. The seventh year Ravenclaws had cast an enchantment so that a single flame spiraled down their tree and then back up to the tip of it. The Slytherin tree was being watered with a particular potion that made its color change from green to silver and back again every fifteen minutes (Minerva suspected this was Severus Snape's doing). Lily Evans had charmed the ornaments on the Gryffindor tree to glow and fade intermittently, and at random mealtimes the tree would give a great *BANG*, startling the students closest to it. She didn't know who was responsible for this, but from the knowing looks that passed between Sirius Black and James Potter each time it happened, Minerva had a strong suspicion.

Bill's jaw had dropped when they had entered the hall. He then let out a whoop of excitement and started running between tables towards the staff table. Minerva smiled as she watched him; no one was there, and she could see where he was, unlike when he ran in the halls, so she let him be, following him to the staff table at a much slower pace, talking in low tones to Charlie. She sat down in her chair with Charlie sitting in her lap so he could look out at the room.

Charlie ran the length of the staff table, and then came back and climbed into the headmaster's chair. "Who sits here?" he asked.

Minerva glanced around to be sure no one was in the proximity. "Uncle Albus sits there."

"Do you sit there?"

"Yes, I do."

Bill nodded. "Mommy always sits next to Daddy at our table."

Minerva glanced around again to make sure no one could overhear him. Bill laughed at her and asked why she kept twisting around.

"Just paranoid, I suppose," she said smiling and bouncing Charlie in her lap. "It's hard to keep a secret when a three-year-old is in it. Besides, it's not like there aren't enough rumors going on around about Albus and I anyway."

Bill hadn't understood much of this so he changed the subject. "I'm firsty."

Minerva smiled at him. "Are you? Hmm… Should we get you some water?" Bill shook his head. "How about… milk? Hot chocolate?" He shook his head again and giggled. "Pumpkin juice? Apple juice?" Bill was bouncing with laughter now. "What then?" Bill stood up on Albus's chair and leaned over to whisper in her ear. Minerva automatically reached out to steady him as she listened to him.

"Lemolade? You want Lemolade?" She feigned surprise but couldn't hold back a smile. "I'd never have guessed." Standing up she offered him her hand. "Let's go get some then."

Down in the vast kitchens, the house-elves had just started on lunch, but they were only too glad to get Bill some lemonade. They also prepared a bottle for Charlie and a cup of tea for Minerva. She was grateful for this, as she hoped it would calm her stomach, which had suddenly stared churning.

Bill and Minerva sat down at as small table with their drinks and Minerva still held Charlie, declining Bill's offer to hold him instead.

Bill was quite amused by the house-elves, and they seemed quite taken with him too. Bill introduced Charlie to each elf that came to check on them. The boy seemed very happy with his baby brother, giving him a kiss, which Minerva was certain would leave Charlie with a sticky, lemonade scented forehead.

Minerva finished her tea, but it hadn't helped her stomach much. In fact, the longer she stayed in the kitchens, the worse her it felt. She suspected it had something to do with the roast the elves were preparing for lunch. Though it didn't usually make her nauseous, she'd never been fond of raw meat. Fortunately, Bill finished his lemonade quickly and Minerva and the boys were free to leave the kitchens.

The three went to Minerva's office and private rooms at Bill's request, so he could see if anything had changed since his last visit—this had been over a year ago, so Minerva wondered if he remember what everything looked like at all—and then returned to Albus's living room.

Bill had fun exploring this room for a while. It, like the office below it, held several small silver contraptions, which were enough to hold Bill's interest. But the room was also full of photographs of family, friends, former students, and so on, so Bill entertained himself by asking "who's this?" every half minute. Minerva identified everyone she could, even though Bill didn't know most of the people she named.

Bill eventually got tired of the pictures. "Can I have a lemon drop?"

Minerva chuckled. "I thought you were going to ask for some more lemonade." She paused, not loving the idea of giving the toddler small, hard candy. "If you sit by me and don't jump around you can have one. Why don't we read a story?"

Bill agreed, but Charlie seemed to think a nap was a better idea than a story. Minerva settled him in a crib that she had transfigured in Albus's bedroom and he fell asleep almost immediately. She left the door open a crack so she could hear him if he cried and then returned to the living room with a children's book and a lemon drop for Bill. He ate his treat and listened to the story, sitting on Minerva's lap very calmly as promised. It seemed to mellow him; when the story was over, he seemed very sleepy. He twisted around to hug her.

"I love you Aunt 'Neva."

Minerva smiled and was surprised to find herself so touched that she had to blink back tears. "I love you too, Billy-Boy."

"You're a good mummy. You're just like my mummy."

Now Minerva couldn't hold back the tears. They splashed down her face and onto Bill's head. He looked up and saw her crying. "Don't cry, Aunt 'Neva, I'm sorry!"

This only made Minerva cry more, though she tried her best to stem the flow of tears. "Oh no, Bill," she said hugging him tightly "You didn't do anything wrong."

His sadness was replaced by curiosity. "Why are you crying?"

Minerva hesitated. She wasn't sure why she was crying, but she did know why she was upset. "Bill, Uncle Albus and I want to have a baby of our own, we want to be a daddy and a mommy—"

"But that's not sad!" Bill interrupted.

"I know, love, but we haven't had a baby yet. We've wanted one for a long time but we haven't had one." She tried to wipe away her tears but more fell. She'd kept this inside for far too long, she supposed.

Bill frowned at her. "I don't want you to be sad, Aunt 'Neva."

"I know. But do you know what makes me happy?" Bill shook his head. "You. You make me happy."

"Then why are you crying?"

"I don't know, Bill, but I'm smiling, aren't I?" Bill nodded. "So that means you make me happy even when I'm sad."

Bill contemplated this and then grinned. He wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her tightly. This of course brought on another wave of tears from Minerva.

Bill pulled back to look at her. "Stop crying," he commanded.

Minerva laughed and wiped at her eyes again. "I can't. I don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe I'm getting sick. I'm so emotional, and I'm tired, and…" She froze, her eyes wide, "…and nauseous…"

She couldn't be pregnant, could she? She and Albus had been trying for months, but why should they have succeeded now? And she had been checked by Poppy not two weeks ago, and the nurse had said the spell showed no sign of pregnancy. So she couldn't be pregnant. Could she?

By the time she had convinced herself to stop trying to convince herself one way or the other, Bill had fallen asleep in her lap. She carried him to Albus's bedroom and laid him in the center of the big bed. She checked on Charlie, who was still sound asleep, and walked towards the door to the living room, but was distracted by the mirror on the back of the door. Knowing full well that even if she was pregnant she certainly wouldn't be showing yet, she couldn't resist standing in front of the mirror, her eyes focused on her lower abdomen. She rested her hand there, feeling nothing unusual, of course, and made her decision. She had to know. She marched into the living room to the fireplace. Tossing a handful of floo powder into the flames, she called for Poppy.

She came right away, looking somewhat concerned over her friend's urgent tone. "What's wrong, Minerva?"

"How accurate is the spell you cast to see if I'm pregnant?"

Poppy furrowed her brow. "Fairly accurate. Why? What happened?"

"Is it possible that it was wrong?"

"Well, I suppose so, though I can't say it happens very often. In fact—"

"I think I'm pregnant," Minerva interrupted.

Poppy's face softened. "Oh Minerva. I know how much you want a baby. Don't you think this is just wishful thinking?"

"Of course I think that!" Minerva exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. "That's why I called you! I need you to tell me if I'm pregnant, or just crazy."

Poppy smiled, but her eyes retained the look of empathy for Minerva. "I'll do the spell again, but please don't get your hopes up, Minerva."

"I won't, I promise." There was no truth in those words and both women knew it.

Poppy shook her head and instructed Minerva to lie on the couch. She knelt next to her and began the incantation, her wand resting on Minerva's stomach. Two strands of purple light slid out of the wand and cris-crossed their way across her abdomen, like the laces of a bodice. They shone there for a moment, and then faded.

Poppy shook her head. "I'm sorry Minerva, but—" The light strands had appeared again, this time glowing red. Poppy's eyes grew wide and she raised her gaze to Minerva's face. Minerva was staring at her stomach in shock.

"It didn't do that before," she said hesitantly. "What does it mean?"

Poppy's face broke into a grin. "What do you think it means?"

Minerva stared at her, not daring to believe. "Poppy you said not to get my hopes up. Why wouldn't it have worked last time?"

"I'm not sure Minerva, it may have been too early to tell, or the spell might just have been wrong, but—look!" Poppy cast the spell again, and then the purple laces faded and then glowed red. "You're pregnant, Minerva!"

So many emotions surged through Minerva; joy, relief, disbelief, pride, excitement. It was all too much for her; she burst into tears again, laughing and sobbing at the same time.

Poppy couldn't help but start crying too as she embraced her friend. She knew how much Minerva and Albus wanted a child; she was thrilled for them.

After a while, both women calmed down enough for Poppy to give Minerva some instructions on prenatal care. Minerva promised to stop by the hospital wing later with Albus for full instructions.

Later, when Minerva looked back at the day, she had no idea how she'd gotten through it. The boys finished their naps and Minerva had some lunch sent up for the three of them. Molly returned to pick up her sons that afternoon looking very harassed and tired. Minerva went about her business as usual except that she wore an odd dream-like expression, and every so often she would stare down at her stomach in amazement.

That evening found her lying on Albus's bed trying to take a nap, but to no avail—her emotions kept playing games with her minds and wouldn't let her rest. She heard the fireplace in the living room roar, announcing Albus's return to the castle.

Minerva's heart skipped a beat as she heard him coming toward the bedroom. She suddenly was very shy of him.

He came into the room and smiled when he saw her. He sat on the bed next to her and leaned down to kiss her. Minerva tried to arrange her face so as not to give her secret away, but this only seemed to alert Albus to the fact that she knew something.

"What happened?" he asked.

Minerva's eyes widened with surprise. "What do you mean?"

Albus eyed her suspiciously but didn't say anything. Instead he got up to hang his traveling cloak in the wardrobe.

Minerva got up and followed him. "Actually there is something I need to tell you," she said.

He turned to face her, feigning surprise. "Oh?"

Minerva hid her smile with a pout. "If you're going to act that way, maybe I won't tell you."

Albus caught her arm as she turned away from him and turned her back to face him, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I'm sorry." He kissed her softly. "What did you want to tell me?"

Minerva smiled, shy once more. Albus always seemed to bring out the child in her that no one else ever saw. Her behavior was even more odd, of course, considering the nature of what she had to tell him.

"Albus, I talked to Poppy today," she started, "and… she was wrong."

Albus wrinkled his forehead. "Wrong about what?"

"About me being pregnant. Well, really about me not being pregnant."

His eyes widened. "You mean… you…we…"

Minerva nodded and smiled widely. "We're going to have a baby," she breathed, before finding herself being lifted off her feet and spun around the room. Laughing, she managed to tell Albus that this probably wasn't good for the baby.

He laid her on the bed. "I'm sorry love, but…" He broke off smiling. "A baby?"

"A baby," she whispered back, pulling his head down to hers and kissing him deeply. When they pulled apart, she said, "I promised Poppy that we'd go to the hospital wing to talk about prenatal healthcare and whatnot."

Albus nodded. "Should we go now?"

Minerva stared up into his eyes for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I think she can wait a while."

Albus smiled and lowered his lips to hers again.


	4. Chapter 4

**December (the next day)**

By going to the Burrow and telling Molly that she was expecting, Minerva knew that she would be in for quite a reaction. The thing was, though, that she didn't really mind. She wanted Molly to be the first one to know about her pregnancy.

.:.

Hearing the familiar sound of someone entering the house via Floo, Molly made her way into the living room with Charlie on her hip.

"Minerva?" she asked, wondering why her former professor was over. "You're here early, is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine," Minerva chuckled. "I just wanted to tell you something."

"Okay, why don't we go outside and enjoy the somewhat warm weather?" Molly asked.

"Brilliant idea," Minerva radiated. She could tell that she was glowing that pregnancy glow, but she didn't mind. She loved the fact that she was bringing a new life into the world.

"Can you take Charlie while I get a few things?" Molly asked as she handed her youngest son over to Minerva.

"Of course," Minerva replied happily.

Taking Charlie out to the back, Minerva softly talked to the young boy. She hoped that she would get an easy baby like Charlie. He was always happy and he never fussed about anything. What more could a mother ask for?

Hearing Molly enter the backyard, Minerva turned around. She didn't think she could hold the news in any longer, so she blurted it out.

"Molly, I'm pregnant," she said, speaking faster the normal.

"Merlin's beard," Molly uttered excitedly as she walked to the table and set down the tray of food she was holding. "Congratulations," she added as she embraced the expectant mother, careful not to squish her own son. "Is that why you came over?" she asked as she pulled away and smiled happily at Minerva.

"It is," Minerva replied as she excitedly nodded. "Albus and I wanted you to be the first one to know."

"Let's celebrate, then," Molly said as she pulled out her wand and flicked her wrist. After a few seconds, she realized that Firewiskey wasn't something you drank while you were pregnant. "You're pregnant, aren't you?" She blushed as the bottle of Firewiskey flew towards her.

"Yes, I am," Minerva laughed as realization dawned on Molly's face.

With another flick of her wrist, the Firewiskey went flying back into the house.

"You're not gonna drink some for me?" Minerva teased as she watched the bottle fly across the yard.

"I'm still breastfeeding Charlie," Molly explained. "It's not recommended to drink while you breastfeed."

"You're a lucky little boy, aren't you, Charlie?" Minerva asked as she looked down and softly tickled Charlie.

"He's my baby, I want what's best for him." Molly laughed as she stepped forward and kissed Charlie on the forehead. "Now, sit down and make yourself comfortable."

Following Molly's direct orders, Minerva sat down and set little Charlie on her lap, gazing fondly at him the whole time.

"I can't wait till my little one is born," she noted, more to herself then to Molly.

"I can tell," Molly teased. "How far along are you?"

"Poppy said I was about a month," Minerva replied, letting her hand drift to her tiny baby bump (even if most people couldn't see it, she could feel it).

"Eight more months and you'll have a little bugger like Charlie," Molly teased.

"Well, hopefully he, or she, will be just as cute as this little bugger," Minerva laughed as she softly tickled Charlie.

Silence fell over the two women but it wasn't an awkward silence, it was the kind of silence that never got awkward (both Minerva and Molly contributed it to the fact that they were close enough to not have an awkward silence).

"Where's Billy?" Minerva asked after a few minutes, noticing that Bill wasn't outside with them.

"He fell asleep about an hour ago," Molly replied. "He should be up by now, though," she added as she glanced over at the house nervously.

"Do you want me to go check?" Minerva asked. "I could use the experience, you know," she added teasingly.

"Sure," Molly sighed after a minute of thinking. "But only because you need the experience," she teased.

Standing up happily, Minerva walked over to Molly, handed Charlie to her and walked into the house. Once she was inside, she walked over to the rickety stairs and made her way up all five flights of the Burrow until she was standing in front of Bill's room.

"Bill?" she asked as she softly knocked on the door. "Are you awake?" When she didn't get a response, she walked into the room and noticed that Bill was sitting up in his bed, smiling.

"Hi, Auntie 'Neva," he said as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Did I wake you up, Billy?" Minerva asked as she walked over to the bed and sat down.

"No, I woke up a few minutes ago," Bill replied, the smile on his face never fading.

"Good," Minerva smiled.

"Where's Mummy?" Bill asked as he looked around the room for his mother.

"She's downstairs. Do you wanna go see her?"

"Yes, Auntie 'Neva," Bill replied as he scooted over in the bed and let Minerva pick him up.

"You're getting big, Billy," Minerva noted as she stood up and made her way back downstairs. She softly laughed as Bill nestled her neck.

"I'm a big boy!" Bill said proudly as he looked at Minerva and smiled.

"You _are_ a big boy," Minerva laughed. "And you'll be an amazing cousin, too."

"A cousin? What's a cousin?" Bill asked curiously.

"Well, Billy, your uncle and I are having a baby," Minerva replied, trying her best to describe what a cousin was.

"So you're going to have a baby in your tummy like Mummy did?" Bill asked, getting a smile from Minerva in response.

"That's exactly right." Minerva laughed as she made her way to the bottom floor of the Burrow and walked outside.

"Mummy, I'm gonna be a cousin!" Bill said, happiness evident in his voice. Wiggling out of Minerva's arms, he ran to the side of Molly's chair.

When Molly heard her eldest son squeal happily, she looked over at him as he ran towards her and smiled.

"I know you are," she laughed. "Are you excited?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah!" Bill replied matter-of-factly.

Walking up behind her unrelated nephew, Minerva picked Bill up. She then walked a little bit closer to the chair Molly was sitting in and peered down at Charlie, who was happily suckling at his mother's breast.

"It seems as if Charlie's always eating," she laughed.

"He's definitely a Weasley," Molly replied as she looked up at Minerva and Bill and laughed.

"I can tell," Minerva said as she smiled down at Charlie longingly.

"You can have him back when he's done feeding," Molly teased. "There's no need to worry." Right as she said this, little Charlie stopped suckling.

Putting everything back into place (if you know what I mean), she rested her son on her shoulder and softly patted his back, getting a soft burp in response.

"I'm not worrying," Minerva chided, not liking the fact that Molly was able to read her expression.

"I wanna sit on Mummy's lap, Aunt 'Neva," Bill interrupted softly. It was almost as if he had said this on purpose because right as he spoke, Molly was ready to hand little Charlie over to Minerva.

"You can sit in my lap now, love," Molly said as she made room for Bill.

Setting three-year-old Bill down, Minerva picked Charlie up and made her way to her seat.

When she sat down, she could hear Molly softly talk to Bill. But she wasn't quite sure what she was saying because all she could think about was how perfect Charlie felt in her arms.

After a few minutes, Minerva looked up, only to find that Molly was gazing at her fondly (in a friendly way, of course).

"You look happy," she explained before Minerva could say anything.

"I am," Minerva sighed happily. "It's finally happening," she added excitedly, referring to her pregnancy.

"I'm sure you're still in shock, aye?" Molly asked, getting a nod of agreement in response. "Whatever you do, though, don't take anything for granted. Next thing you'll know, he or she will be talking," she added as she looked down at Bill lovingly. It seemed as if it were the day before that Bill had been born.

"After all we've been through, I definitely won't be taking anything for granted," Minerva replied as she also looked down at the Weasley in her arms. Looking back up at Molly, she noticed that Bill was starting to fall asleep again.

"Is he falling asleep again?" she asked as she smiled at the half-asleep Bill.

"He is," Molly laughed. "He's my sleeper," she added as she kissed Bill's forehead.

"It seems like your kids are complete opposites." Minerva laughed.

"They are," Molly replied as she also laughed.

"Well, it's always nice to have kids that are different." Minerva sighed. She only hoped that she would get the chance to have more kids, especially if they were anything like the Weasley kids.

Hearing a soft cough come from across the table, Minerva pulled herself out of her thoughts right as she heard Bill say, "I don't feel good."

"What's the matter, hun?" Molly asked as she looked at Bill worriedly.

"My throat hurts," Bill replied as he snuggled close to his mother and nuzzled her chest. "And I'm cold," he added, explaining as to why he had snuggled so close to Molly.

"Okay, try to go back to sleep, dear. I'll get you a blanket," Molly said as she pulled out her wand and Accioed a blanket. When the blanket was in her hand, she wrapped it tightly around her son.

When Bill was comfortably snuggled close to her with the blanket wrapped around him, Molly felt his forehead and realized that he had a fever (which wasn't surprising considering he was cold).

"Does he have a fever?" Minerva asked worriedly, her maternal instincts coming out.

Molly nodded her head. "He does," she said as she wrapped her arms around Bill and kissed his forehead.

"Poor guy." Minerva sighed as she looked at Bill, the worried expression never leaving her face.

"I know," Molly replied. "I just hope he doesn't get it," she added as she nodded her head towards Charlie, who had fallen asleep a few minutes before.

Right then, as Molly said that she didn't want Charlie to catch a cold, Minerva had an idea. "You know, Albus and I can take him for a few days," she said, throwing her idea out.

"That would be great!" Molly replied happily. "But you really don't have too," she added.

"I need the experience, Molly," Minerva chided as she pointed her finger at Molly and shook it, the inner professor coming out.

.:.

Coming home with a baby (even if it wasn't her own) put Minerva into even more disbelief then she already was in. She couldn't wait to bring her own baby home. It just felt so natural to her. Hopefully, though, it felt as natural for Albus as it did for her.

"Albus, are you home, darling?" she called as she walked into the tiny cottage she shared with Albus. She was hoping that he was home because she wanted to know how he felt about having little Charlie for a few days.

"I'm right here, Mina," Albus called back as he walked into the room Minerva was in. "And look at who we have," he added as he walked closer to his wife and tickled Charlie, getting a soft giggle in response.

"You're not mad, are you?" Minerva asked.

Looking up from little Charlie, Albus gazed at Minerva curiously. "Why would I be mad?" he asked.

"Because I didn't tell you that we're gonna have him for a few days," Minerva replied sheepishly. She knew it was stupid thing to think but she just couldn't help it.

"Mina, darling, you know I would never get mad at you for that," Dumbledore said as he cupped Minerva's chin and kissed her forehead. "Plus, we _do _need the experience," he laughed.

"That's exactly what I said!" Minerva laughed.

And with that, Minerva and Albus shared one last kiss before the long three days of Charlie.

* * *

><p>So this first 3 chapters belong to Laura Kay. She has agreed to let me add onto her story (:<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Bringing home Charlie Weasley felt so right to Minerva McGonagall. She loved the feeling she got from holding him, from feeding him, even from changing his diaper. It felt so natural to her, like she was meant to do those types of things. The thing was though, she wasn't expecting it to be so hard to put him to sleep.

"Charlie, dear, it's time for you to go to bed," Minerva said for the hundredth time as she started to walk around the living room, attempting to quiet the crying baby in her arms. She couldn't believe how hard it was to put Charlie to sleep, especially considering he was normally such an easy baby.

Going through that night's events, Minerva tried to figure out what she had missed. She had changed Charlie's nappy, she had changed him into his pajamas. "You need to be fed, don't you?" she asked as she realized she hadn't fed Charlie yet.

Walking into the kitchen, Minerva attempted to make a bottle, but with Charlie snuggled up in her arms, it was almost impossible.

"Albus?" she called, hoping her husband would help her. "Will you come here, please?"

Hearing Minerva call his name, Albus immediately walked out of his office and into the kitchen.

"Everything alright?" he asked as he watched Minerva struggle with Charlie.

"Can you help me make a bottle?" Minerva asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Why are you rolling your eyes at me?" Albus laughed. He knew exactly why Minerva had rolled her eyes; he just wanted to tease her.

"Because you're an oblivious git," Minerva replied. She was obviously teasing, but there was a certain tone in her voice that led Albus to believe that she wasn't.

"I most definitely am not!" Albus replied, fake hurt evident in his voice.

"Gawd, Albus, just make the bloody bottle," Minerva laughed as she, again, rolled her eyes.

"Fine," Albus said, obliging to his wife's request.

Closing the gap between him and Minerva, Albus grabbed the bottle from the matronly witch, poured milk into it and cast a warming charm on it.

"Here you are, love," he said as he handed the bottle back to Minerva and smiled lovingly at her.

"Thank you, dear," Minerva replied as she leaned in and kissed her husband.

"You're welcome," Albus replied as he kissed Minerva back and smirked.

Poking the bottle through Charlie's suckling lips, Minerva leaned into Albus as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

They both looked at Charlie in awe as they realized that a baby could make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier and the past forgotten, but most importantly they made the future worth living for.


	6. Chapter 6

When Minerva first brought Charlie Weasley home, she thought the weekend was never going to end but when it did, she realized that it flew by a lot faster than she would have liked.

.:.

Apparating to the Burrow with Charlie on her hip, Minerva waited for her husband, who arrived shortly after, to knock on the door.

"You ready to give Charlie back?" she asked as she looked up at Albus and smiled.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Albus replied as he smiled back.

Realizing that she didn't have Charlie's bag, Minerva started to panic. "Do you have Charlie's bag?" she asked as she looked up at Albus worriedly.

"Minerva, relax." Albus laughed. "It's right here," he said as he took the nappy bag off his shoulder and showed it to Minerva.

"You're a lifesaver," Minerva said as she stood up on her tippy toes and kissed Albus on the cheek.

"I know," Albus replied knowingly. When he saw the nappy bag sitting on the table, he immediately knew Minerva had forgotten it so he, like any parent would have, took it.

"Alright, I suppose it's time to give Charlie back," Minerva whined as she softly knocked on the door.

"Minerva, we're going to have a little one of our own in eight months," Albus chided as shuffling was heard from behind the door. Just as Albus finished his sentence, Molly opened the door.

"You know, he's right, Mina," Molly teased as she pulled Minerva into a giant hug.

"You were listening to our conversation?" Minerva laughed as she hugged Molly back, careful not to squish Charlie.

"I only heard the last bit," Molly replied as she smiled at Minerva and then gave Albus a hug. "But, seriously, time flies by when you're pregnant. Next thing you know, the little one will be here," she added.

"Words spoken by a professional," Albus teased as he hugged Molly back and then made his way into the Burrow.

"Hey, I've only been pregnant twice!" Molly chided as she closed the front door and made her way to the living room, Minerva following close behind. What she didn't know, though, was that she would eventually go on to endure six pregnancies. "Anyways, my boy wasn't too much trouble, was he?" she asked as she took Charlie from Minerva's cradling arms.

"Let me just say this – you were right about him being an eater," Minerva laughed.

Feeling Charlie wrap his arms around her neck, Molly kissed his head and also laughed.

"Yeah, well, he's a growing baby," she said as she softly rocked Charlie back and fourth. She could tell that he was tired not because he looked it but because he never slept well in places he'd never been. "I'm guessing he didn't sleep too well?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

"We had a little trouble putting him to sleep," Albus replied as he nodded his head in agreement. "But nothing we couldn't handle," he added as he smiled softly.

"That's good," Molly said as she smiled back. Feeling Charlie nuzzle her chest sleepily, she added, "I'll be right back, I'm going to put him down for a nap."

"Okay," both Albus and Minerva replied as they sat down and made themselves comfortable.

Walking down the hall, Molly made her way over to the rickety stairs and walked up all five flights of the Burrow until she was standing in front of Charlie's room. Once she was inside, she whispered, "I love you, " and set Charlie down into his crib. She then grabbed her wand out of her pocket and dimmed the lights. Once they were almost entirely off, she quietly made her way out of the room, quickly closing the door behind her.

Letting out a sigh (she wasn't expecting Charlie to go down so easily), Molly hastily made her way back downstairs.

Deciding that some snacks were needed, she stopped at the kitchen and grabbed a few things, throwing it all on a small tray.

When everything was ready, she exited the kitchen, walked into the living room and placed the tray down onto the coffee table. "I decided that we needed some snacks." She laughed when Albus and Minerva eyed her in a confused manner.

"We just ate, actually," Minerva replied. "But thank you, Molly."

"Okay, that's fine," Molly said as she happily took a seat in the recliner chair

"Where's Arthur?" Albus asked, noticing that the Weasley patriarch wasn't present.

"He's at work," Molly replied. "But he should be home any minute," she explained as she curiously took a look at the clock with her families faces on it. Her brothers, Fabian and Gideon, had given her that clock as a present right before Bill was born.

Noticing Minerva eye Albus suspiciously, she asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Well, we were wondering if you and Arthur will come with us to the hospital when it's time for the baby to arrive?" Minerva asked when Albus nodded his head encouragingly.

"Oh," Molly said, surprise evident in her voice. "Of course, we would love to," she added as she smiled brightly at the expecting parents, excitement evident in both her voice and face.


End file.
